The invention is directed to systems and methods for providing transport.
As the United States Navy moves its sea basing visions forward, underway replenishment (UNREP) operations will be required to be completed at increased rates and during higher sea states than current facilities and procedures allow. The Navy standard elevator has been identified as a key technology gap that will need to be addressed in order to achieve the goals of Future Naval Capability (FNC).
Currently, elevator operations and, more specifically, the time required to load/unload elevators and transport between elevators are the biggest bottleneck in shipboard cargo and weapons strike-up and strike-down operations. Additionally, in an effort to increase ship survivability, many future combatants will require a ropeless elevator capable of crossing gaps to allow for ballistic hatches to remain normally closed during ship operations.
The systems and methods of embodiments of the invention address the above needs and others.